


Leif, the Hero of Termina

by Agent3Novi



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Body Dysphoria, False Identity, Found Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Maybe - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prompt Fic, Self-Indulgent, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, TLDR MM Link dies and the Deku Butler's Son ends up saving Termina instead, Why Did I Write This?, endgame is LU but let's see if we get there-, fierce DADity shenanigins, hopefully, i only have a chapter and a half written so far lol, the bit's short but it's in there-
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:35:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25229950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agent3Novi/pseuds/Agent3Novi
Summary: “You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”“The imp who sealed away your god and poisoned your land… They have stolen a very powerful mask from me. Truth be told, I was looking for someone else to get it back for me, but yes… you’ll be fine.”“The person I was looking for had a very precious item, one that could return you to your former self. If you can retrieve it and the mask that was stolen, I will return you to normal.”...“Well then, I am counting on you...”The Happy Mask Salesman smiled to himself and began to count. A forest spirit, fairy, and ghost weren’t exactly the heroes he had in mind, but they would do fine.““Believe in your strengths… for you three have the power to change this world’s terrible fate.”---(Or wherein the Hero of Time dies far too early, so the Gods send a little Deku Scrub to become the Hero of Termina instead.)(Idea from@linkeduniverse-promptson Tumblr, and Linked Universe AU by@linkeduniverse)
Relationships: Fierce Deity & Link (Legend of Zelda), Link & Darmani, Link & Happy Mask Salesman (Legend of Zelda), Link & Link (Legend of Zelda), Link & Mikau, Link & Tatl (Legend of Zelda), Link & the Deku Butler's Son
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	Leif, the Hero of Termina

**Author's Note:**

> This was kinda just... sitting in my drafts for a while. Thought I'd post it.
> 
> Idea from [this prompt](https://linkeduniverse-prompts.tumblr.com/post/611405866334371840/the-deku-scrub-was-cursed-to-wear-links-mask-and#notes).
> 
> Also disclaimer: most of the italicized dialogue (the Happy Mask Salesman's lines) were taken from the original game: Majora's Mask. They've been edited where needed for the AU, but yeah I didn't write most of his lines.
> 
> Enjoy and make sure to check out the original AU at [linkeduniverse.tumblr.com](https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/)!

\--“ _ You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you? _ ”--

The odd Hylian’s words echoed in Leif’s thoughts as he ran through the temple, slashing at enemies with a sword he barely knew how to use and trying desperately to figure out how to navigate without the Deku Flowers or being able to skip across the poisoned water or  _ any _ of his abilities.

\--“ _ The imp who sealed away your god and poisoned your land… They have stolen a very powerful mask from me. Truth be told, I was looking for someone else to get it back for me, but yes… you’ll be fine. _ ”--

“Fine” his  _ ass. _ First his friends get kidnapped and  _ then _ he gets  _ cursed _ and trapped in the gods-damned temple with an annoying fairy and now he was scratched and bruised and hurting far more than he had any right to be, in a body that was too  _ tall _ and  _ squishy _ and  _ heavy _ and felt so  _ wrong- _

\--“ _ The person I was looking for had a very precious item, one that could return you to your former self. If you can retrieve it and the mask that was stolen, I will return you to normal. _ ”--

He fell to his knees upon reaching the entrance. He felt so horrible, having to leave Princess Azalea behind, but he couldn’t get into the temple’s depths. His body ached with bites and scratches from the monsters guarding the temple, and tingled with the lingering effects of the poisonous water. Hylian clothing was so weird, it was heavy to begin with, but got even  _ heavier _ when wet. It felt so heavy and  _ cold _ and  _ constricting- _

__ _ \-- _ “ _ You should have no trouble with that, yes? … Except… I’m a very busy fellow… and I must leave Termina in three days. How grateful I would be if you could bring it back to me before my time here is up... _ ”--

Tatl smacked him roughly on the ear and he flinched, “Get up, dummy! We need to catch up with them!”

He would have yelled something back, but he was still too shaken from everything that had happened. Instead he obligingly stood up and started walking again. Hopefully Father or His Majesty would be able to help, with the kidnapping or the imp or the curse Leif didn’t even care, as long as it was  _ something _ .

\-- _ “Ah… but don’t worry, you’ll be fine. I see you are young and have tremendous courage.”-- _

Leif gasped as he hit the ground. He pushed himself up on his elbows (ow ow  _ ow _ ) to stare at the palace guards.

“Scram, Hylian! The royal palace is no place for outsiders!” The left Deku Scrub, Derli, spat.

He gaped like a stunned fish. But… but… he  _ lived _ in the palace! He was the son of the King’s right hand man for Terminus’s sake! It wasn’t his freaking fault that some demon had stuck him in someone else’s body. And now his eyes were stinging and he felt too hot and something wet was running down his face-

“Look, kid, let’s just head to Clock Town,”

“Right…” Leif picked himself up and turned towards the bridge leading to the rest of the forest, “Clock Town…”

\--“ _ I’m sure you’ll find it right away. _ ”--

The night of the third day, the world was about to end. The ground quaked as the masked Skull Kid held their arms to the sky, calling the moon, pulling it down. That looming face was locked in a sneer, like it was challenging anyone to stop its advance. Leif quaked in his boots, they were doomed, nothing would stop it now.

Except… a gut feeling… from within a presence he had only barely been aware of… told that that blue ocarina within the Skull Kid’s grasp could save them all.

Without thinking, Leif pulled a Deku Nut from his bag and hurled it at the Skull Kid. They screeched as the nut exploded in a burst of light. In that moment of disorientation, the ocarina slipped out of their grasp. He dove and caught it before it hit the ground. The presence that was tied to the curse shoved its way to the forefront of his mind, and his fingers and mouth moved without his command. He played a song on that ocarina, one Leif had never before heard, but one that was as familiar as the sun and stars. He played and played, even as the world and time itself began to unwind and dissolve under its power. 

\--“ _ Well then, I am counting on you... _ ”--

And then the world righted itself, on the dawn of the first day.

\--“ _ Believe in your strengths… _ ”--

“Well… I guess we should start with the swamp, right?”

Leif nodded, clutching the Hylian Mask in his hands and reveling in the feeling of being in his own skin- er,  _ bark _ , again. The Deku Scrub took a moment to feel the breeze rustling his leaves, shift his weight from foot to foot, then started walking towards the southern gate, “and then after that… whatever it takes to stop Majora.”

And as they left on their journey, the Happy Mask Salesman smiled to himself and began to count. A forest spirit, fairy, and ghost weren’t exactly the heroes he had in mind, but they would do fine.

\--“ _ Believe _ …  _ for you three have the power to change this world’s terrible fate. _ ”--

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos keep my motivation up! Also if you have ideas you want for a future scene for let me know!


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